Fuel crisis hits Australia as businesses offer free petrol as Middle East conflict drives price surge
From fuel vouchers to AI-powered price tracking, motorists are changing how they fill up as the fuel crisis bites.
As the fuel crisis intensifies amid conflict in the Middle East, petrol is fast becoming one of the most sought-after prizes, with businesses offering fuel vouchers as Australians grapple with rising costs at the bowser.
From media competitions offering thousands of dollars in fuel credits to local promotions built around petrol discounts, the weekly fill-up is increasingly being used to capture attention during the cost-of-living squeeze.
In regional Victoria, one pub has replaced its traditional meat raffle with a diesel giveaway.
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That’s the slogan behind a weekly fuel raffle launched by the Tallarook Hotel, a regional Victorian pub which has begun offering a 20-litre jerry can of diesel as its Friday night prize.
Located in a small town without public transport, the venue awards raffle tickets to customers who buy a drink between 4pm and 7pm, as diesel prices climb towards $3 per litre in parts of the country.
Smaller local businesses are also incorporating fuel into promotions. One Sydney gym is offering new members up to six weeks of free training alongside a $50 fuel voucher, encouraging recipients to reply “FUEL” to redeem the offer.
The incentive is one that would appeal to commuters like Olivia Greig, 22, from Glenbrook in Sydney’s lower Blue Mountains.
“If they told me to sign up for that gym membership and I’d get something out of it like free fuel, especially right now when it’s costing so much, I would 100 per cent do it. No questions asked,” Ms Greig said.
Rising oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict are pushing up the cost of petrol, diesel and jet fuel globally, with flow-on effects already being felt across travel and transport.
Senior government figures have distanced themselves from official advice suggesting a $40 cap at the petrol pump could help manage shortages in parts of Australia, after a surge in motorists stocking up reportedly left some service stations running dry.
The national fuel emergency response manual, developed in 2019, outlines how transaction limits could be used to manage supply during disruptions, though Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Wednesday the government had no plans to introduce such caps.
“The government has no intention of applying caps to the consumption of petrol,” Mr Farrell told reporters in Canberra.
Former independent senator Rex Patrick, who obtained the document under freedom of information laws, said the manual contained a range of measures that could be considered in extreme circumstances, including directing fuel supplies to essential users or requiring companies to maintain minimum stock levels.
Soaring oil prices are also affecting travel plans, with Jetstar confirming it has cut back flights due to rising jet fuel costs, impacting some domestic New Zealand services and routes between Auckland, Sydney and Brisbane.
Against that backdrop, motorists are increasingly turning to tools that help track price changes.
Fuel-tracking apps are seeing increased use, with services such as PetrolSpy and FuelCheck recording lifts in downloads and engagement as motorists compare bowser prices across suburbs.
New insights from OpenAI show searches on ChatGPT related to petrol have surged more than 200 per cent in the past three weeks, as users look for ways to find cheaper fuel, understand price fluctuations and plan when and where to fill up.
For Ms Greig, the search for cheaper petrol has become part of her weekly routine.
“Living in Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains, I am commuting around 60 kilometres to North Sydney, and I am always looking for ways to save with the cost of petrol so high right now,” she said.
“I’ve been using ChatGPT to help me find the cheapest places to fill up and track fuel prices. It told me that Costco in Casula is 10 to 30 cents cheaper there compared to anywhere else so I’ve been stopping in there to fill up. It even recommended the Fuel Check app, which I downloaded, so I can check if fuel prices have dropped or increased every day.”
Even relatively small price differences can add up over time, particularly for commuters who rely heavily on their cars.
